The first chapter of your book - write it now

[Castiel]

Absolute Write is a must-read for some really great insight, though structure is really what you make it. That's what separates some of the really great authors with others: Their use of structure. Be innovative, split things up that you otherwise would have thought should form part of a sentence. Or, perhaps, let that form a massive run-on. It's all about how it reads and thus the feeling it conveys.

For example, a split sentence could convey calculation, order. The same sentence as a run-on could convey haste, panic, mania -- a split decision. It's all how YOU use your words.

Cool link!

I have often thought about writing about some of my experiences but have never really understood how to frame them or how to write prose effectively (as my rather terrible contribution to this thread will attest), any other places or advice would be very welcome....

 

[Edrof]

The best thing you can do to make yourself into a better writer is to just write. It sounds clichéd, but with every thousand words you whack onto the monitor in front of you, the better you become at sculpting your work. Failing that, get an editor.

 

[Pestilence]

The best thing you can do to make yourself into a better writer is to just write. It sounds clichéd, but with every thousand words you whack onto the monitor in front of you, the better you become at sculpting your work. Failing that, get an editor.

That's also one of the best pieces of advice. The writing, not the editor part.

Write, write, write and rewrite. The more you do it, the better you'll get. As Magnolia said earlier, I do indeed write for a horror website and when I look back at the earliest stuff I had published there I cringe. It's a world away in terms of quality compared to my current output, and that's only come through practice.

If you fancy writing something, then do it. Then read it over. Then rewrite it. Then tweak it. Then read it again. Then dump it completely and start the same story over. Then do ALL of the previous over once more. The improvement will come with time, and you'll easily see it.